Birthday Special: March-born actors and their best movies to watch this month

M for March, M for movies. Treat yourself to some of Hollywood’s best entertainers that feature actors born this month. It’s a splendid six that includes Daniel Craig, Michael Caine, Bruce Willis, Reese Witherspoon, Keira Knightley and Christopher Walken, whose movies have forever delighted us.  

Daniel Craig (March 2)

Casino Royale (2006)

This was Daniel Craig’s first movie as Bond—the cool, cold, calculative, and very much the ladies’ man detective. We still can’t get over the high-stakes poker game at Casino Royale in Montenegro and how he beat death to defeat terrorist financier Le Chiffre; Bond always has an ace up his sleeve. While we wish for better things between him and his love interest Vesper, we were delighted to see the blonde-haired, blue-eyed brilliant actor play the new Bond. 

Knives Out (2019)

It is difficult to imagine Craig playing any other role than a suave detective. In Knives Out, which had a stellar cast including Ana de Armas, Chris Evans, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Jamie Lee Curtis, to name a few, Craig was the wild card. His character Benoit Blanc is a southern version of the famed detective Hercule Poirot. He plays the part to perfection, making sure that the people he is investigating mistake him for an idiot, with absolutely no clue of his genius.

Michael Caine (March 14)

The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005, 2008, 2012)

Michael Caine’s career in the film industry has been quite the legacy. His character Alfred in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy—Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), and The Dark Knight Rises (2012) continues to be one of the most adored characters in cinema. As Bruce Wayne’s (Christian Bale) loyal butler, father figure, advisor, and confidante, Caine brings tremendous emotion and gravitas to the movie. Throughout the film, we see him torn between the need to protect his master and saving the city from destruction, which, ironically, only Bruce can pull off.

Bruce Willis (March 19)

Die Hard (1995)

Is there any other film that can top Die Hard as the ultimate Bruce Willis movie? He fits the role of the New York cop John McClane perfectly! No matter how often you rewatch this cult film, you will be at the edge of your seat, eager to know if he makes it out of Nakatomi Tower alive. And while many of us, including Jake Peralta from Brooklyn Nine-Nine, swear that Die Hard is a Christmas movie, we say it makes the perfect watch for any day of the year. 

The Sixth Sense (1999)

Few endings in cinema are better than the end of this 1999 psychological thriller. A true classic created by M Night Shyamalan. As child psychologist Malcolm Crowe, who works with a boy named Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), who can see dead people, Bruce Willis makes every bit of the movie brilliant and believable. While the director and Osment took all the plaudits, Willis who sold us that unforgettable and brilliantly-written twist at the end. 

Reese Witherspoon (March 22)

Legally Blonde (2001)

This is one of Witherspoon’s most-iconic roles. The entertaining comedy sees her as the adorable Elle Woods, who applies to Harvard Law School to win back her boyfriend, who dumped her. In this quest, she undergoes a journey of self-discovery that is heartwarming. Despite it being a film that’s loved for its uncanny wit and charm, it’s the empowering and inspiring message that makes it one of Witherspoon’s best movies till date. 

Your Place or Mine (2023)

This year's Valentine's Day was a special one for all Witherspoon fans as the actor delighted us in a cheesy rom-com starring alongside Ashton Kutcher. She, played the role of Debbie, a divorced Los Angeles mom whose son Jack (Wesley Kimmel) is a sickly nervous wreck and was al things adorable with Kutcher, who played Peter, a commitment-phobic New York business guru who’d rather be a novelist. The movie kicks into gear when the two long distance friends decide to trade lives for a week and fix each other's problems. The duo, who've played a host of rom-coms, show exactly why they're pros in the genre with their flirty and casual banter, early-morning conversations, and late-night catch up calls amongst other adorable things making this movie one that is extremely heartwarming. Just what a rom-com should be. 

Keira Knightley (March 26)

Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

Knightley plays Juliette "Jules" Paxton opposite Parminder Nagra as Jess, who longs to be like her idol David Beckham despite her family's disapproval. The film sees two teenage girls (Knightley was 16 at the time of the film) shattering stereotypes and defying gender roles to find their true calling on the football field. Despite it only being a supporting role in this coming-of-age film, the actor left us mesmerised with her performance.    

Atonement (2007)

Based on a 2001 novel, the movie revolves around the love story between Cecilia (Knightley) and Robbie (James McAvoy) and how her sister Briony sparks a chain of events that separates the two in the backdrop of WWII. The film features one of the most iconic costumes of all time—Knightley's green dress. If every actor has a genre where they truly excel in, it is tragic love stories for Knightley.